In strongly territorial birds such as the indigo bunting, song is the

The best answer is E. When asked to identify the primary purpose of a passage, you should select the answer choice that states what the passage as a whole achieves. The passage is primarily a discussion of a natural phenomenon, the song of the male indigo bunting. This discussion focuses on the components, form, and function of the song. Such a discussion can correctly be called an analysis, and E presents such a choice. There is no evidence in the passage that suggests that the issues presented are new (choice A), or that any of the matters discussed are enigmas or misconceptions (choices B and C). The discussion is not primarily a presentation of theory but of empirical evidence and observed phenomena; thus, choice D is not correct.



The best answer is C. To answer this question, you should examine each of {he choices to determine which makes an accurate statement, based on evidence in the passage, about the number and general nature of the figures sung by the indigo bunting. In the second paragraph, the author concludes that male indigo buntings in a natural environment copy figures from other buntings, a fact that explains why the number and general nature of figures remain limited. Thus, choice C is true and is the intended answer. The other choices are plausible statements, but they are not asserted in the passage.



The best answer is E. The format of this question requires you to evaluate each of the questions designated with Roman numerals separately and carefully. In this question, you must infer from the passage what information the investigation discussed in the s·econd paragraph was designed to obtain. According to the passage, the investigation yielded information that permitted researchers to draw conclusions about variation in figure types, about unique figures among birds, and about the effects of increasing geographic separation. The second paragraph describes some of the strategies used by the investigators to obtain precisely this information. I, II, and III are all questions that the investigators set out to explore, and E is the correct answer.



The best answer is D. This question requires you to determine why the number of indigo bunting figures is as limited as it is. In order to make this determination, it is necessary to consider several facts presented in the passage and their relationship to each other. The third paragraph indicates that the songs serve as a means of recognition for members of the same species. The fourth paragraph discusses the strict limitations on the ways in which figures are produced. The last paragraph indicates that "song stability and conservatism," that is, limits to the numbers of figures and variations, are essential for clear-cut species recognition. Choice D is a statement of that idea.



The best answer is B. This question requires you to determine the reason for the researcher's use of a dummy male indigo bunting. The passage indicates that the sight of the dummy was not enough to cause subject male indigo buntings to react to songs of lazuli and painted buntings. This result suggests that the indigo bunting identifies others of the species on the basis of the song rather than sight. The fact that the researchers performed an additional check in which an indigo bunting song, did, in fact, provoke responses from the subject indigos further rules out visual clues.



The best answer is C. The fourth paragraph states that the researchers played songs backward, a technique that changed the forms of the figures without changing frequency ranges or gross temporal features. Since figure shape, therefore, is the only element to be altered, the results of the experiment would give information about the role of figure shape in species recognition. Choice C is the only choice that addresses the question of figure shapes, and, in fact, the fourth paragraph indicates that the experiment was designed to determine what changes in detail would fail to elicit responses from the subject buntings.




The best answer is E. The format of this question requires you to evaluate each of the phrases designated with Roman numerals separately and carefully. The question requires you to look up information explicitly stated in the passage. The first sentence in the first paragraph states that in birds such as the indigo bunting, "song is the main mechanism for securing, defining, and defending an adequate breeding area." I and II are restatements of parts of this idea. The last paragraph indicates that songs serve the function of identification within the species and that females can differentiate the songs of their mates from those of other males, thus indicating that III is also correct; therefore, E (I, II, and III) is the best choice.